Momentum

"Momentum is how heavy you are multiplied by what the hell you are doing" - John Dobson.

I got that quote from Bunch of Amateurs by Jack Hitt. I just finished reading the book and while it wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, not a bad read just the same. John Dobson plays just a small part in the book but he's played a big role in the making of telescopes by amateurs. I bought a telescope a few years ago but have only set it up a few times. Next year I'm planning on adding the deck off the south end of the new barn and then I'll move the telescope out there where it'll be a little more user friendly location. With all of my other projects, I can't see me grinding my own lenses and building a big telescope. I can see the attraction, however. After my post the other day about my brother calling me from the Great Beyond and my looking for the path to enlightenment, if I start talking about the cosmic mysteries of outer space, you'll probably think I've gone off the deep end, so I'll just leave that alone for awhile. I do find the concept of an infinite universe very intriguing, however.

And, I do like the above quote. I've got a little momentum going nowdays on my projects that I'd like to keep going. I broke down the tires from the other two rims on the VW yesterday. I used to work for a blacktop outfit many years ago and rainy days were spent changing truck tires or hauling stone from the quarry. After you've changed a bunch of truck tires and more than a few motorcycle tires, the little tires on the VW aren't much of a challenge as long as you've got a couple of decent tire irons. I got them popped off in about the same time it would have taken to drive uptown to the tire place. Now I need to sandblast and paint the wheels. I'll take them back to the tire shop to get the new skins mounted and balanced. By taking the tires off the wheels myself, I'll be able to throw the old tires in a ditch along one of the back roads like the other hillbillies around here. Or maybe I'll set them on fire. You won't be able to tell in a few days when everyone around here sets their damp piles of leaves on fire and then allows them to smolder for hours at a time.

While I'm able to sit quite comfortably in front of the computer belly aching about the knotheads around here burning leaves, my heart goes out to those suffering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Rain, snow, flood, wind, fire - they're really catching hell all up and down the Eastern Seaboard. The wind that took my barn down was estimated to be about 100 miles per hour, so I've got a much better appreciation now of what a hurricane is like. No thanks, don't need that at all. Just hang tough people. Better days are coming.